Ghana Football Association (GFA) President Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku has officially opened the FIFA Member Association (MA) Young Talent Refereeing Course at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence in Prampram, as part of efforts to develop the next generation of top-level match officials.
The programme is aimed at identifying and preparing promising young referees with the skills, knowledge and experience needed to progress to elite levels of football officiating.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, President Simeon-Okraku said the development of referees remains a key priority for the GFA.
He explained that he made time to attend the event personally despite returning from the FIFA World Cup just a day earlier because of the importance of investing in the future of Ghanaian refereeing.
He encouraged the participants to take advantage of the opportunity and learn from the FIFA instructors, stressing that discipline, commitment and continuous improvement would be essential in their journey.
The GFA President also reflected on the challenges Ghana’s refereeing sector faced following the Anas investigative exposé, which led to the exit of nearly 78 referees.
He said the situation exposed the need for a major rebuilding process to restore confidence and create a sustainable pathway for new officials.
According to him, this led to the introduction of the GFA’s “Catch Them Young Refereeing Policy”, an initiative designed to discover, train and support young referees from an early stage.
He said the FIFA MA Young Talent Refereeing Course further strengthens the association’s efforts by providing participants with international-level training and guidance from experienced FIFA instructors.
The course is being led by FIFA Technical Instructor Essameldin Abdelfattah Hassan Abdelhamid from Egypt and FIFA Physical Instructor Boubakar Hannachi from Tunisia.
The instructors are expected to train the participants in areas including match decision-making, technical understanding, physical preparation and modern refereeing standards.
The GFA believes the initiative will help build a strong foundation for Ghanaian refereeing and ensure a steady supply of quality officials capable of representing the country at the highest levels of football.
